Looking to buy my first surround sound system.

Buuhan1

Buuhan1

CAGiversary!
I just bought a brand new TV so I'm looking to finally get something I've waited to get for awhile, a surround sound system. I've always put it off due to how generally confusing I find the market for them and that my living room setup wasn't really friendly for one.

I am currently looking at this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pioneer-5.1-CH-Home-Theater-System/20659650 for $278 at Walmart at which I'm an employee and I get an additional 10% off. The reviews seem mixed on there and... can't really find any anywhere else. Anything better for that price range? I'm definitely not looking for something more expensive because anything I get will sound better than TV speakers.
 
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I have the Onkyo system listed here.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S540...em/dp/B004O0TREC/ref=pd_ys_sf_s_172282_b1_5_p

I'm a serious gamer, and movie buff. It's an incredible system. I have my Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 all hooked up to it. I have a very large basement (22' x 38'). I've used it in small rooms in my home, and liked it, but when I put it in the larger room, it really impressed me.

The sounds are deep and rich, and the bass is soulshaking.

I'm not a serious audiophile, but I don't regret my purchase at all. After owning it for 18 months now, I'm really surprised it wasn't more expensive. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Hope that helps!
 
Is Pioneer a good brand? I know they've been around a long time but I honestly don't hear of them anymore and thought they went under years ago.
 
I also recommend the very same Onkyo kit.

EDIT: Looks like only Bucko and I have the same model, the HT-S5400 the 7.1 version. When I first glanced through, their form factors were similar enough.

I picked it up from Amazon, free delivery and I don't have to worry about the Receiving crew standing on it before it got to the Site-to-Store counter, woohoo. (I'm also a WM associate, I've seen some things and I'm sure you have, too.)

Only gripes are how large the front speakers are (but not needlessly "LOUD"), they may take some fanangling to mount on a speaker stand. Otherwise no complaints.
EDIT 2: Looks like your HT-S3500 the 5.1 doesn't have this problem

Oh, and the subwoofer is the size of an end table, no-kidding, but I've personally never needed to hook one to any of my systems, especially this one since there's plenty of bass with the regular speakers as-is, plus you can always adjust the tone/bass settings.

The feature that had originally sold me on this kit was the on-screen menu (my last Sony receiver didn't have it and what a pain it was to configure ANYTHING--looks like your Pioneer doesn't have on-screen menus either: http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/45/66/42/HTP-071/index.html) so now even changing the volume shows up on-screen like it should--no more peeking at the receiver just to see what the volume is set to for this guy. Then the price, the brand, and that it was an upgrade to 7.1 surround for full-compatibility with surround sound headsets.

As an added bonus, there's also very little audio "dropout" when the source changes; like when watching a digital cable show broadcast in surround sound, and then a local commercial pops-up that's only recorded in stereo and the receiver then needs to change gears to broadcast it, my Sony receiver's audio signal would drop for a solid 2 seconds and I would jarringly have absolutely no sound and miss snippets all the time--not a problem for the Onkyo. When the Onkyo switches codecs (or whatever the hardware equivalent is) there's a tiny "switch" sound and in under a second the new sound source is decoded.
 
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Not using the dedicated sub with those Onkyo speakers?! Blasphemy. The range on them, while much better than many other HTiB options is still not that great.
 
The 7.1 Ohkyo sounds nice, but it is $70 more than the Pioneer (and 5.1 Ohkyo). Is there really that much of a difference between 5.1 and 7.1? I'm no audiophile, I merely want get surround sound for a good price.
 
[quote name='pjb16']Not using the dedicated sub with those Onkyo speakers?! Blasphemy. The range on them, while much better than many other HTiB options is still not that great.[/QUOTE]

Being an apartment-dweller--especially having the upper-floor of a converted house--and with my speaker stands sitting on top of linoleum instead of carpet, it's really not an option. During the quiet times, if someone has too gravelly of a voice or god forbid something explodes, I swear I can feel it vibrate through my feet. The neighbors have never complained (knock on wood) but I'm one to take every precaution rather than hope for the best. 8-[


[quote name='Buuhan1']The 7.1 Ohkyo sounds nice, but it is $70 more than the Pioneer (and 5.1 Ohkyo). Is there really that much of a difference between 5.1 and 7.1? I'm no audiophile, I merely want get surround sound for a good price.[/QUOTE]

The extra 2 speakers possible with 7.1 is just another depth-of-field. Instead of things being "in front of you" and then traveling to immediately "behind you" there's an intermediary between the two (which is actually adjustable since you can also make this extra-layer a "high" version or extended version of your front or back speakers as well, but that's a different ball of wax).

If you're not one to get too excited by such things, then skip it, and to add to that, the only format that truly makes any use of this at the moment are very-well mastered blu-rays. The next-gen consoles have been long-rumored to use 7.1 but of course that remains to be seen, and are always made backwards-compatible for lesser speaker setups. I just look at the upgrade as "future-proofing," and as I had said before I was already using surround sound headphones which try to make use of 7.1, when available, but they needed a receiver that understood the 7.1 source in order to pass it on and fool my ears.
 
I've had an Onkyo TX-SR876 receiver that was a refurb for three years and it's been running perfectly since moment one. Great sound, works great.

If you're working for a "out of the box" solution with everything included, I'd lean towards the Onkyo over another brand.

I have a 7.1 setup and for the items that use it, it's a nice touch. Otherwise, the 5.1 source would get blended across the four rear speakers using the source for the rear channels in the 5.1 source.

7.1 surround sound has been coming out more and more with recent BluRay releases, so it's becoming more common than you think. There's a number of PS3 games out there that have 7.1 surround sound, though the Wii and 360 are 5.1 only. Future consoles with the Xbox 720/Next and PS4, they're likely to be 7.1.

Sound-wise, I love my Onkyo and would buy another one again when I need to. I did mine as receiver + speakers and not a "everything in the box" package, though for a boxed setup, the Onkyo 5400 is a pretty good setup from what I've seen/read about it.

From what I read on an Amazon review, it comes with 24 gauge speaker wire. I'd recommend some 14-gauge or 16-gauge wire and banana plugs, as it'll sound better with better-quality speaker wire. Banana plugs make it easier to hook up.

Monoprice.com banana plugs (ones I bought previously):
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10401&cs_id=1040115&p_id=2801&seq=1&format=2
Monoprice.com 14-gauge 100' roll of speaker wire (also something I've bought previously):
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=2791&seq=1&format=2

The speaker wire and banana plugs aren't something you need immediately, though it's something I'd suggest.
 
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[quote name='shrike4242']...If you're working for a "out of the box" solution with everything included, I'd lean towards the Onkyo over another brand...Sound-wise, I love my Onkyo and would buy another one again when I need to.[/QUOTE]
I've been using an Integra (Onkyo's higher end line) receiver for almost 10 years now. (I used to work in a high end AV specialty shop back in the day so I was able to get much better things than I could have otherwise). Although my Integra only has component video switching (too old for hdmi) and I only run 5.1 surround on it, I still love it. I also plan on sticking with the Onkyo/Integra brand when I purchase my next unit and move into the realm of 7.1.

If you are going for a HTIB, I strongly advise one from a company that actually makes full featured stand alone components. I'm glad you are comparing Onkyo and Pioneer and not Curtis and RCA for example. That being said, I agree with everyone else in saying that the Onkyo unit is where I would go with it. I would also advise on going with 7.1 instead of 5.1. As a comparison; would you buy a new DVD player or a Bluray player that also plays DVDs?
 
[quote name='shrike4242']though for a boxed setup, the Onkyo 5400 is a pretty good setup from what I've seen/read about it.

...The speaker wire and banana plugs aren't something you need immediately, though it's something I'd suggest.[/QUOTE]

All excellent advice, although it seems as though the OP is looking to get out cheaper (despite our advice and minor elitism \\:D/), and if the OP does end up with the cheapy HT-S3500 (the 5.1 Onkyo) it isn't compatible with banana plugs--something I wanted to point out directly for the OP. Thicker speaker wire though is always an improvement.
 
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